I used to want to sit down when I’m tired. Now with an overabundance of virtual meetings on the computer, I’m just tired of sitting down. With my eyes on the computer screen, my head falls forward, shoulders hunch up, back rounds in a slouch, and my body gets stiff. When I look up at …Read More
Blog
Funeral Blues ~ W. H. Auden
During times of crisis when the world is soaked in grief, waves of sadness touch us as we yearn for what has been lost. When in the middle of grief, it helps to know that we are not alone. We find comfort knowing that others have been there and survived to tell about it. W. …Read More
Not how the story should end
In my online workshop on telling personal stories, we devote a whole class to folk tales. You might be asking, “What do folk tales have to do with personal stories?” Folk tales taught me the structure of stories. The classic plots, themes, messages occur over and over again in the folk tales and are reworked …Read More
Meditation: Reclaim Your Story
What if you could hit the pause button? If your inner storyteller is moving down from one worst case scenario to the next, the stress and tension are building up. The body does not distinguish between real stress and imagined stress, so when the mind (and the news) is playing the same story over and …Read More
Japanese American Internment Camps, WWII
On December 7, 1941, Japanese bombs fell on Pearl Harbor. This surprise attack would “awaken a sleeping giant” (Isoroku Yamamoto). Shocked and awakened to the atrocities of war brought to their own soil, the United States of America entered World War II after two years on the side-lines. For the mainland United States, another bomb …Read More
Truth and Story come together
Do you remember the confusion as a child? What is truth? What is story? Adults loved it when, as a little child, I use my imagination and tell them a story. Talking animals, kings and queens, knights on quests, magical objects…. The world is only limited by my imagination. And then one day, POW! The …Read More
Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night ~ Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas (1914 – 1953) achieved popularity in his lifetime as a drunken ill-fated lost poet, a reputation that he encouraged, until his early death at 39 years old. Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night, perhaps his most famous poem, calls forth the tenacity of the human spirit. Do Not Go Gentle Into …Read More
Breaking the Fourth Wall, Storytelling Workshop
The 4th wall In theater, actors on stage describe the invisible 4th wall between the audience and the stage. The actors on stage have physical “walls” on 3 sides while the audience has an intimate view through the invisible 4th wall. In traditional theater, the actors pretend not to notice the audience. For the audience, …Read More
How to Raise a Black Son in America ~ Clint Black
I believe in the power of story and poetry to change the world. Story and poetry are among the things in this world that really should take our breath away. Watch Clint Smith on How to Raise a Black Son in America. (< 4 minutes) View this post on Instagram “Son, I’m sorry, but you …Read More
Stories to Connect, Reflect, Heal
“In the midst of taking a storytelling class, magic happened… As I am creating my story, I am the one healing and going through a huge transformation…. both naturally and deep within.” -MM All good things must come to an end. (Even good stories.) My online storytelling class, “Tell Your Story, Transform Your Life: The …Read More